Zimbabwean Protesters Burn Tires, Block Roads Over Fuel Price Hike

HARARE (Reuters) – Protesters barricaded roads and burned tires in a suburb of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare on Monday, two days after President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced a massive fuel price hike in an effort to stem a deepening economic crisis.

Cash shortages have plunged Zimbabwe’s economy into disarray, threatening widespread social unrest and undermining Mnangagwa’s efforts to win back foreign investors sidelined under his predecessor Robert Mugabe.

Mnangagwa - Announcement - Percent - Increase - Fuel

Mnangagwa’s announcement of a 150 percent increase in fuel prices was greeted with shock in Zimbabwe where unemployment is over 80 percent. The government sets fuel prices via the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Agency.

Residents of Epworth, 36 km (22 miles) south of the capital, protested after the...